José Fernando Vilela-Martin

Hypertensive crisis: clinical–epidemiological profile

Hypertensive crisis (HC) stands out as one type of acute elevation in blood pressure (BP) and can manifest as hypertensive emergency (HE—with target-organ damage (TOD)) or hypertensive urgency (HU—without TOD), usually accompanied by levels of diastolic BP ⩾120 mm Hg. The aim of this study was to characterize the clinical–epidemiological profile of HC over the course of 1 year in a university reference hospital and perform a review of the literature. The study was a cross-sectional study, conducted over a period of 1 year (2006) in 362 patients who presented for treatment at the emergency hospital with HC, as described above. Among all patients examined, 231 individuals met the criteria for HE and 131 met the criteria for HU. Patients with HE were older (P<0.001) and more sedentary (P=0.026) than those with HU. Furthermore, fewer HE patients than HU patients had previously undergone antihypertensive treatment (P=0.006). The groups did not differ regarding BP levels, gender, smoking or body mass index. Dyspnea (41.1%), thoracic pain (37.2%) and neurological deficit (27.2%) were common signs/symptoms in those with HE. Meanwhile, in the group with HU, we most frequently found headache (42.0%), thoracic pain (41.2%) and dyspnea (34.3%). Among the forms of HE, we most frequently observed acute lung edema (30.7%), myocardial infarction/unstable angina (25.1%), and ischemic (22.9%) and hemorrhagic (14.8%) stroke. HC is a clinical entity associated with high morbidity in the emergency room. Individuals with HE are older and sedentary and have lower rates of antihypertensive treatment. Adequate control of BP should be pursued as a way to avoid this severe complication of hypertension.

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome: association with risk factors and cardiovascular complications in an urban population.

Introduction Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a set of cardiovascular risk factors and type 2 diabetes, responsible for a 2.5-fold increased cardiovascular mortality and a 5-fold higher risk of developing diabetes. Objectives 1-to evaluate the prevalence of MS in individuals over 18 years associated with age, gender, socioeconomic status, educational levels, body mass index (BMI), HOMA index and physical activity; moreover, to compare it to other studies; 2-to compare the prevalence of elevated blood pressure (BP), high triglycerides and plasma glucose levels, low HDL cholesterol and high waist circumference among individuals with MS also according to gender; 3-to determine the number of risk factors in subjects with MS and prevalence of complications in individuals with and without MS aged over 40 years. Methods A cross-sectional study of 1369 Individuals, 667 males (48.7%) and 702 females (51.3%) was considered to evaluate the prevalence of MS and associated factors in the population. Results The study showed that 22.7% (95% CI: 19.4% to 26.0%) of the population has MS, which increases with age, higher BMI and sedentary lifestyle. There was no significant difference between genders until age ≥70 years and social classes. Higher prevalence of MS was observed in lower educational levels and higher prevalence of HOMA positive among individuals with MS. The most prevalent risk factors were elevated blood pressure (85%), low HDL cholesterol (83.1%) and increased waist circumference (82.5%). The prevalence of elevated BP, low HDL cholesterol and plasma glucose levels did not show significant difference between genders. Individuals with MS had higher risk of cardiovascular complications over 40 years. Conclusion The prevalence of MS found is similar to that in developed countries, being influenced by age, body mass index, educational levels, physical activity, and leading to a higher prevalence of cardiovascular complications after the 4th decade of life.

DPP-4 Inhibitor Reduces Central Blood Pressure in a Diabetic and Hypertensive Patient: A Case Report

AbstractHypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) are among the main risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease. Pharmacotherapy for DM should not only improve blood glucose control, but also provide beneficial glucose-independent cardiovascular effects. The central systolic blood pressure (SBP) has become more important than the brachial SBP in the assessment of cardiovascular risk.This case report describes the effect of vildagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, on the central SBP in a 54-year-old woman with hypertension and DM. She was submitted to applanation tonometry (AT) before and after vildagliptin association. AT of the radial artery is a non-invasive method that indirectly assesses arterial stiffness by calculating the central SBP and the augmentation index (AIx).After 3 months of follow-up using vildagliptin, central SBP and AIx were improved. Moreover, she presented better glycemic control.This case suggests an effect of DPP-4 inhibitor on arterial stiffness parameter (central SBP) in a hypertensive and diabetic patient, which shows a glucose-independent beneficial cardiovascular effect of this group of drugs.

Nebivolol reduces central blood pressure in stage I hypertensive patients: experimental single cohort study

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVES Assessment of central blood pressure (BP) has grown substantially over recent years because evidence has shown that central BP is more relevant to cardiovascular outcomes than peripheral BP. Thus, different classes of antihypertensive drugs have different effects on central BP despite similar reductions in brachial BP. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of nebivolol, a β-blocker with vasodilator properties, on the biochemical and hemodynamic parameters of hypertensive patients. DESIGN AND SETTING Experimental single cohort study conducted in the outpatient clinic of a university hospital. METHODS Twenty-six patients were recruited. All of them underwent biochemical and hemodynamic evaluation (BP, heart rate (HR), central BP and augmentation index) before and after 3 months of using nebivolol. RESULTS 88.5% of the patients were male; their mean age was 49.7 ± 9.3 years and most of them were overweight (29.6 ± 3.1 kg/m2) with large abdominal waist (102.1 ± 7.2 cm). There were significant decreases in peripheral systolic BP (P = 0.0020), diastolic BP (P = 0.0049), HR (P < 0.0001) and central BP (129.9 ± 12.3 versus 122.3 ± 10.3 mmHg; P = 0.0083) after treatment, in comparison with the baseline values. There was no statistical difference in the augmentation index or in the biochemical parameters, from before to after the treatment. CONCLUSIONS Nebivolol use seems to be associated with significant reduction of central BP in stage I hypertensive patients, in addition to reductions in brachial systolic and diastolic BP.

Carotid intima-media thickness is associated with cognitive deficiency in hypertensive patients with elevated central systolic blood pressure

BackgroundThe role of hypertension in the loss of cognitive function is controversial. Relationships between hypertension and increases in cerebral vascular resistance, diffused lesions and multiple lacunar infarcts of the white matter are well known. Thus, the objectives of this study were: to evaluate the relationship between hypertension and cognitive dysfunction (CD), identify risk factors and determine the association between early markers of vascular disease and CD in hypertensive individuals.MethodsTwo hundred individuals aged between 40 and 80 years old were evaluated in this cross-sectional prospective study. Fifty participants were controls (CT). The remaining 150 hypertensive patients were subdivided into two groups, those with CD (HCD) and those without CD (HNCD). All participants underwent clinical evaluations and biochemical blood tests were performed. CD was investigated using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) following the guidelines for its use in Brazil. The impact of hypertension on the arterial bed was assessed by identifying and measuring changes in the intima-media thickness (IMT) by vascular ultrasonography of the carotid arteries and analyses of the central blood pressure and Augmentation Index by applanation tonometry of the radial artery.ResultsThere were no significant differences in the total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides plasma concentrations between the three groups. The serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate were within normal ranges for all three groups. A significantly lower MMSE score was recorded for the HCD Group compared to the HNCD and CT Groups (p-value < 0.05).The IMT was significantly different between the HNCD and HCD Groups (p-value = 0.0124). A significant difference in the IMT was also observed between hypertensive patients and the CT Group (p-value < 0.0001). Age, low-density cholesterol, high-density cholesterol, triglycerides and IMT increased the Odds Ratio for cognitive dysfunction.The central systolic pressure was significantly higher in the HCD and HNCD Groups compared to CT Group (p-value < 0.0001).ConclusionsHypertensive patients with CD have changes in the vascular morphology characterized by an increased carotid IMT, enhanced atherosclerotic lipid profile and impaired hemodynamic functional manifested by elevated central systolic blood pressure.

Endothelial Changes in Individuals with Prehypertension

INTRODUCTION Prehypertension is considered a precursor of systemic arterial hypertension and a predictor of morbidity-mortality due to cardiovascular diseases, which are the main causes of death in Brazil and the world. Thus, early diagnosis and the adoption of therapeutic measures in cases of prehypertension can reduce cardiovascular risk. The aim of the present study was to perform a selective review of the literature to identify and discuss early endothelial changes in individuals with pre-hypertension. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The findings indicate an increase in ET-1-mediated vasoconstrictor tone in prehypertension, with endothelial-dependent vasodilatation impairment. Moreover, significantly high levels of angiotensin, arginine and vasopressin were found in this group of patients. A reduction in endothelial fibrinolytic capacity was another important change found in patients with prehypertention and was associated with an increased risk for atherothrombotic events. CONCLUSION The present findings demonstrate endothelial changes in individuals with prehypertension that contribute to the development of arterial hypertension as well as a high risk for cardiovascular events, underscoring the importance of the early adoption of optimized therapeutic measures for this population.

I Luso-Brazilian Positioning on Central Arterial Pressure

I Luso-Brazilian Positioning on Central Arterial Pressure Andréa A. Brandão,1 Celso Amodeo,1 Cristina Alcântara,2 Eduardo Barbosa,1 Fernando Nobre,1 Fernando Pinto,2 José Fernando Vilela-Martin,1 José Mesquita Bastos,2 Juan Carlos Yugar-Toledo,1 Marco Antônio Mota-Gomes, 1 Mario Fritsch Toros Neves, 1 Marcus Vinícius Bolívar Malachias,1 Manuel de Carvalho Rodrigues,2 Oswaldo Passarelli Junior,1 Paulo César B. Veiga Jardim,1 Pedro Guimarães Cunha,2 Rui Póvoa,1 Teresa Fonseca,2 Vitor Paixão Dias,2 Weimar Sebba Barroso,1 Wille Oigman1 Departamento de Hipertensão Arterial da Sociedade Brasileira de Cardiologia1, Rio de Janeiro, RJ – Brazil; Sociedade Portuguesa de HipertensãoPorto2 – Portugal

How to Investigate the Vascular Changes in Resistant Hypertension.

The pathophysiological mechanism of resistant hypertension (RH) is related to increased vascular smooth muscle tone and blood volume, exacerbation of the activity of the sympathetic system and hyperactivity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), all of which are important regulatory mechanisms of blood pressure. Hypertension is associated with reduced endothelial homeostasis, and thus the best treatment would not only reduce blood pressure but also reverse endothelial injury. RH is associated with more serious vascular dysfunction, assessed by endothelium-dependent vasodilation and the presence of serum biomarkers. Arterial stiffness also constitutes an important independent factor that can determine risk of cardiovascular events in patients with RH; it is an important indicator of vascular changes, and is associated with cardiovascular mortality. Arterial stiffness can be assessed by 3 measures: central blood pressure, augmentation index (AIx) and pulse wave velocity (PWV). PWV is a recognized as main marker of the severity of vascular injury. The increase in central blood pressure caused by backward (reflected) waves can be evaluated as an index derived from an analysis of the central aortic blood pressure curve known as the AIx, and depends on the magnitude and time of the reflected waves and indirectly on heart frequency and arterial stiffness. The evaluation of patients with RH is focused on the identification of causes of hypertension guided by the clinical features of hypertension and metabolic, vascular, endocrine and family history.

Prevalence of Physical Inactivity and its Effects on Blood Pressure and Metabolic Parameters in a Brazilian Urban Population

Mailing Address: José Fernando Vilela-Martin Av. Anisio Haddad, 7700, Casa: 129. Postal Code: 15093-000, Jardim das Palmeiras, São José do Rio Preto, SP Brazil. E-mail: vilelamartin@cardiol.br, vilelamartin@uol.com.br Prevalence of Physical Inactivity and its Effects on Blood Pressure and Metabolic Parameters in a Brazilian Urban Population Geiza da Graça Leite Rissardi,1 José Paulo Cipullo,1 Gisela Cipullo Moreira,1 Luiz Alberto Souza Ciorlia,1 Cláudia Bernardi Cesarino,1 Luiz Tadeu Giollo Junior,1 Angelina Zanesco,2 José Fernando Vilela-Martin1 Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP),1 São José do Rio Preto, SP Brazil Universidade do Estado de São Paulo (UNESP),2 Rio Claro, SP Brazil

Urinary albumin excretion regression in hypertensive individuals

[1] Kawada T. Serum C reactive protein and carotid intima–media thickness. Int J Cardiol Mar 3